WO2022111122A1 - Manufacturing method for display panel, display panel, and display device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided in the present disclosure are a manufacturing method for a display panel, the display panel, and a display device. The manufacturing method comprises: employing a vapor deposition method to form an inorganic packaging layer on a driver backplane, the inorganic packaging layer comprising a main packaging layer covering a display region and partly a peripheral region and a permeable layer extended from the main packaging layer in the direction away from the display region; forming an inorganic layer on the side of the inorganic packaging layer facing away from the driver backplane, the inorganic layer comprising a first inorganic layer covering the main packaging layer and a second inorganic layer extended from the first inorganic layer in the direction away from the display region; and employing a same mask to simultaneously etch and remove the second inorganic layer and the permeable layer. As such, the permeable layer can be removed, the problem of bubbling caused by the permeable layer is eliminated, and the excellent performance of an FMLOC touchscreen display panel is ensured. (FIG. 3)

Description

Method for producing display panel, display panel and display device

cross reference

This disclosure claims the priority of the Chinese patent application with the application number 202011339383.7 filed on November 25, 2020, all of which are titled "Production Method of Display Panel, Display Panel and Display Device", the entire content of this Chinese patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety Incorporated herein.

technical field

The present disclosure relates to the field of display technology, and in particular, to a manufacturing method of a display panel, a display panel and a display device.

Background technique

FMLOC (Flexible Multi-Layer On Cell) design is currently the mainstream in the field of OLED touch display, especially in the mobile phone screen industry is the main process direction. FMLOC design refers to making a metal grid electrode layer on the package driver backplane of the display panel, so as to perform touch control without external TSP (Touch Screen Panel, touch screen), this process can reduce screen thickness, improve yield and reduce costs .

The display panel with FMLOC structure has many inorganic film layers. Once the internal water vapor cannot be discharged smoothly, it is easy to form bubbling (commonly known as bad bubble) in the film layer. Or peel off, or even lead to poor touch control. Therefore, avoiding the occurrence of bubbling is an issue to be overcome in the FMLOC process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present disclosure is to overcome the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art, and to provide a manufacturing method of a display panel, a display panel and a display device.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for manufacturing a display panel, the display panel includes a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area, the manufacturing method includes:

Provide a drive backplane;

A vapor deposition method is used to form an inorganic encapsulation layer on the driving backplane, so that the inorganic encapsulation layer includes a main encapsulation layer covering the display area and part of the peripheral area, and a main encapsulation layer extending from the main encapsulation layer away from the display Permeable layer extending in the direction of the zone;

An inorganic layer is formed on the side of the inorganic encapsulation layer away from the driving backplane, so that the inorganic layer includes a first inorganic layer covering the main encapsulation layer and a direction away from the display area from the first inorganic layer a second inorganic layer extending in the direction;

The second inorganic layer and the permeable layer are removed by simultaneous etching using the same mask.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the inorganic layer is a buffer layer in the touch function layer;

Wherein, forming the inorganic layer includes: forming the buffer layer on the side of the inorganic encapsulation layer away from the driving backplane, so that the buffer layer includes a first buffer layer covering the main encapsulation layer and a the first buffer layer is a second buffer layer extending away from the display area; wherein, the first buffer layer is the first inorganic layer, and the second buffer layer is the second inorganic layer;

Wherein, the etching of the second inorganic layer and the permeation layer includes: using the same mask to remove the second buffer layer and the permeation layer by synchronous etching.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the inorganic layer is a touch insulating layer in the touch functional layer;

Wherein, forming the inorganic layer includes: forming a touch insulating layer on the side of the inorganic encapsulation layer away from the driving backplane, so that the touch insulating layer includes a first insulating layer covering the main encapsulation layer and a second insulating layer extending from the first insulating layer to a direction away from the display area; wherein the first insulating layer is the first inorganic layer, and the second insulating layer is the second inorganic layer ;

Wherein, etching the second inorganic layer and the permeable layer includes: using the same mask to remove the second insulating layer and the permeable layer by synchronous etching;

Wherein, the preparation method further includes: forming a first touch electrode layer between the inorganic encapsulation layer and the touch insulating layer, so that the projection of the first touch electrode layer on the driving backplane is located at the location where the first touch electrode layer is projected. within the projection of the main encapsulation layer.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the preparation method further includes:

A buffer layer is formed between the inorganic encapsulation layer and the first touch electrode layer, so that the buffer layer includes a first buffer layer covering the main encapsulation layer and a first buffer layer extending from the first buffer layer away from the display area a second buffer layer extending in the direction;

When the second insulating layer and the permeable layer are removed by simultaneous etching using the same mask, the second buffer layer is also removed by etching at the same time.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the preparation method further includes:

forming a barrier dam located in the peripheral region and surrounding the display region on the driving backplane;

Wherein, when the inorganic encapsulation layer is formed, the main encapsulation layer is made to cover the display area and the barrier dam.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, forming the inorganic encapsulation layer includes:

A first inorganic encapsulation layer is formed on the driving backplane by a vapor deposition method, and the first inorganic encapsulation layer includes a first main encapsulation layer covering the display area and the barrier dam, and a first main encapsulation layer covering the display area and the barrier dam. a first permeable layer extending away from the display area;

A second inorganic encapsulation layer covering the first inorganic encapsulation layer is formed by a vapor deposition method, the second inorganic encapsulation layer includes a second main encapsulation layer covering the display area and the barrier dam, and a second main encapsulation layer covered by the second main encapsulation layer a second permeable layer extending away from the display area, the second main encapsulation layer covers the first main encapsulation layer, and the second permeable layer covers the first permeable layer;

Wherein, removing the permeable layer by etching includes simultaneously etching and removing the first permeable layer and the second permeable layer.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a display panel divided into a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area, the display panel comprising:

drive backplane;

an inorganic encapsulation layer, disposed on the driving backplane and covering the display area and part of the peripheral area;

The inorganic layer is arranged on the side of the inorganic encapsulation layer away from the driving backplane, and the edge of the inorganic layer and the edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer are flush in the thickness direction of the display panel, and both are located in the surrounding area.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the inorganic layer is a buffer layer in the touch function layer, and an edge of the buffer layer is flush with an edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer in the thickness direction of the display panel .

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the inorganic layer is a touch insulating layer in the touch functional layer, and the edge of the touch insulating layer and the edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer are within the thickness of the display panel. flush in the direction;

The display panel further includes a first touch electrode layer, the first touch electrode layer is arranged between the inorganic encapsulation layer and the touch insulating layer, and the first touch electrode layer is on the driving backplane The projection on is within the projection of the inorganic encapsulation layer.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the display panel further includes:

The buffer layer in the touch function layer, the buffer layer is located between the inorganic encapsulation layer and the first touch electrode layer, and the edge of the buffer layer is located at the edge of the touch insulating layer and the inorganic encapsulation layer. The display panel is flush in the thickness direction.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the display panel further includes:

a blocking dam, the blocking dam is located in the peripheral area and is arranged around the display area;

Wherein, the inorganic encapsulation layer covers the display area and the barrier dam, and the edge of the inorganic layer and the edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer are both located on the side of the barrier dam away from the display area.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the inorganic encapsulation layer includes a first inorganic encapsulation layer and a second inorganic encapsulation layer that are arranged in layers;

Wherein, the edge of the inorganic layer is flush with the edges of the first inorganic encapsulation layer and the second inorganic encapsulation layer in the thickness direction of the display panel.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a display device including the above-mentioned display panel.

It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present disclosure.

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

Fig. 1 is the top view of FMLOC display panel;

Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the film at the position where bubbling is likely to occur in Figure 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a display panel according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

4 is a schematic structural diagram of a sub-pixel in a display area of a display panel according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

5 is a schematic structural diagram of forming a peripheral area barrier dam according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

6 is a schematic structural diagram of forming a first inorganic encapsulation layer in a peripheral region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

7 is a schematic structural diagram of forming a second inorganic encapsulation layer in the peripheral region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of forming a buffer layer in a peripheral region according to the first embodiment;

9 is a schematic diagram of the position of the mask plate in the first embodiment;

10 is a schematic structural diagram of the first embodiment after etching and removing the permeable layer;

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of forming a first touch electrode layer in the peripheral region according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of forming a touch insulating layer in the peripheral area according to the first embodiment;

13 is a schematic structural diagram of forming a second touch electrode layer in the peripheral region according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of forming a buffer layer in a peripheral region according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of forming the first touch electrode layer in the peripheral region according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of forming a touch insulating layer in the peripheral region according to the second embodiment;

17 is a schematic diagram of the position of the mask plate of the second embodiment;

18 is a schematic structural diagram of the second embodiment after etching and removing the permeable layer;

19 is a schematic structural diagram of forming a second touch electrode layer in the peripheral region according to the second embodiment;

20 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 21 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel according to the second embodiment.

Detailed ways

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments, however, can be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and thus their detailed descriptions will be omitted. Furthermore, the drawings are merely schematic illustrations of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Although relative terms such as "upper" and "lower" are used in this specification to describe the relative relationship of one component of an icon to another component, these terms are used in this specification only for convenience, such as according to the direction of the example described. It will be appreciated that if the device of the icon is turned upside down, the components described as "on" will become the components on "bottom". When a certain structure is "on" other structures, it may mean that a certain structure is integrally formed on other structures, or that a certain structure is "directly" arranged on other structures, or that a certain structure is "indirectly" arranged on another structure through another structure. other structures.

The terms "a", "an", "the", "said" and "at least one" are used to indicate the presence of one or more elements/components/etc; the terms "include" and "have" are used to indicate an open-ended is meant to be inclusive and means that additional elements/components/etc may be present in addition to the listed elements/components/etc; the terms "first", "second" and "third" etc. only Used as a marker, not a limit on the number of its objects.

Referring to FIG. 1 , which is a top view of a display panel with an FMLOC structure, the display panel includes a display area 10 at the center and a peripheral area 20 surrounding the display area.

A part of the display area is provided with a pixel circuit, an OLED light emitting device is arranged above the pixel circuit, an encapsulation layer is arranged above the OLED light emitting device, and a touch function layer is arranged above the encapsulation layer. Parts of the peripheral area 20 are provided with driving circuits, various leads and annular packaging structures, etc. The peripheral area 20 also includes an overlap area 21 located below the display panel, and the overlap area 21 is used to realize the overlap between the touch electrodes and the leads. .

Referring to FIG. 2 , it is a cross-sectional view of the package structure under the current peripheral area, and the figure is a schematic cross-sectional view of the B-B direction in FIG. 1 . The encapsulation structure usually includes one or two annular barrier dams 30 formed by stacking a plurality of film layers and protruding on the driving backplane to block external water and oxygen from invading the display area from the peripheral area and protect the OLED devices in the display area. The inorganic encapsulation layer 60 in the encapsulation layer has the best barrier effect on water and oxygen, and usually covers the display area 10 and the barrier dam 30 to further prevent the intrusion of external water and oxygen. The touch functional layer generally includes a buffer layer 50 , a first touch electrode layer 51 , a second touch electrode layer 53 and a touch insulating layer 52 located therebetween. The two touch electrode layers pass through the touch insulating layer 52 . via connections on the . The two touch electrode layers usually cover the barrier dam 30 and extend and collect to the lap area 21 outside the barrier dam, so as to be overlapped with the leads of the lap area.

The inventor found that the most likely position for bubbling of the display panel with the FMLOC structure is the edge of the outer ring of the barrier dam corresponding to the edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer (the arrow in the figure). It is fabricated by the vapor deposition process, and the mask plate 200 and the driving backplane 1 cannot be attached at zero distance, so there must be a little gap (gap), so that the inorganic material in the vapor phase penetrates through the gap, and A thin inorganic film layer (shadow, hereinafter referred to as the permeable layer 60b) is formed on the edge of the mask. Since there are more permeable layers 60b here, it will increase the difficulty of the water vapor in the lower organic membrane layer to overflow, and the water vapor is easy to accumulate here. In addition, the permeable layer 60b is a by-product of the inorganic encapsulation layer, the thickness of the film layer is relatively thin and the film quality is poor, and bubbles are easily formed when it encounters water vapor. For the above reasons, the membrane layer of the permeable layer 60b is easily separated due to bubbling, which in turn causes the membrane layer to wrinkle and contaminate the equipment, affecting the production yield, and even causing the touch electrode lines to break, resulting in poor touch control.

Based on the above-mentioned problems, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for manufacturing a display panel, which can prevent the display panel from forming blisters at corresponding positions. Referring to FIG. 3 , the manufacturing method of the display panel according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes the following steps:

Step S100, providing a driving backplane 1;

In step S200, an inorganic encapsulation layer 60 is formed on the driving backplane by a vapor deposition method, so that the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 includes a main encapsulation layer covering the display area and part of the peripheral area and a permeable layer 60b extending from the main encapsulation layer to a direction away from the display area ;

Step S300, an inorganic layer 5 is formed on the side of the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 away from the driving backplane 1, so that the inorganic layer 5 includes a first inorganic layer covering the main encapsulation layer and a second inorganic layer extending from the first inorganic layer in a direction away from the display area. inorganic layer;

In step S400, the second inorganic layer and the permeable layer 60b are removed by simultaneous etching using the same mask.

In this application, the inorganic encapsulation layer formed by vapor deposition method is divided into a main encapsulation layer and a permeable layer. The main encapsulation layer is the part located in the opening of the mask plate during the formation process, that is, the part that normally covers the display area and part of the peripheral area, The permeable layer 60b is a part formed by permeating into the gap between the mask plate and the driving backplane, that is, a shadow. In the subsequent process of forming the inorganic layer 5, since it is also an inorganic material, the same mask can be used to etch away both the second inorganic layer and the permeable layer 60b through the same etching process, thereby removing the shadow, thereby eliminating the problem of bubbling caused by shadow and ensuring the good performance of the FMLOC touch display panel.

The manufacturing method of the display panel according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below.

In step S100, a driving backplane 1 is provided.

Referring to FIG. 4 for a schematic cross-sectional view of the display area, FIG. 4 schematically shows a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a sub-pixel. Taking the formation of the display area structure shown in FIG. 4 as an example, a pixel circuit is provided at a position of the driving backplane 1 corresponding to the display area, and the pixel circuit includes a driving transistor. Specifically, the driving backplane 1 includes a substrate 100 and a driving transistor located on one side of the substrate 100 , wherein, for example, the driving transistor includes a buffer layer 90 , an active layer 91 , a gate insulating layer 92 , and a gate layer 93 , an interlayer insulating layer 94, a source and drain layer 95, a passivation layer 96, a flat layer 97, and the like. The above-mentioned film layers can be fabricated sequentially from bottom to top, and corresponding patterns are formed through a patterning process. It should be noted that the structure of the driving transistor is not limited to this, and may be determined according to actual requirements. The drive backplane 1 is provided with a drive circuit and various leads at positions corresponding to the peripheral area. The leads and the like in the peripheral area can be formed by a synchronous patterning process using the same material as the source and drain layers, or the gate layer and other film layers in the display area, so as to simplify the preparation method. The preparation method of the driving backplane 1 can be prepared by the existing preparation process.

4, the first electrode layer 80 is formed on the flat layer 97, and the first electrode layer 80 is electrically connected to the drain of the driving transistor through a via hole. Then, a pixel defining layer 81 having an opening is formed, and the opening of the pixel defining layer 81 exposes the first electrode layer 80 . Then, an organic light-emitting functional layer 82 and a second electrode layer 83 covering the organic light-emitting functional layer 82 are formed in the opening area. The formed light-emitting device can emit light under the driving of the driving transistor. The preparation method of the OLED light-emitting device can also be prepared by the existing preparation process.

In this step, it also includes forming a barrier dam 30 surrounding the display area in the peripheral area of the driving backplane. Taking the barrier dam structure shown in FIG. 5 as an example, the barrier dam 30 includes two layers from bottom to top, that is, a first barrier layer 31 and a second barrier layer 32 . The two film layers of the barrier dam and the film layer of the display area can be formed through a synchronous process, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process. For example, when the flat layer 97 in the display area is formed, the material of the flat layer may also be covered in the peripheral area, and the peripheral area is also patterned when the flat layer 97 in the display area is patterned, that is, when the flat layer 97 in the display area is to be patterned. Trenches are formed on both sides of the flat layer forming the barrier dam, and the flat layer remaining in the middle of the two trenches is the first barrier layer 31 of the barrier dam. Similarly, when forming the pixel defining layer 81 of the display area, the peripheral area is covered with the same material, and the display area and the peripheral area are patterned through the same patterning process to form the first barrier layer 31 on the first barrier layer 31. Two barrier layers 32 . Since the flat layer 97 and the pixel defining layer 81 have thicker thicknesses, that is, the first barrier layer 31 and the second barrier layer 32 have thicker thicknesses, the barrier dam 30 has a better blocking effect.

It should be noted that the barrier dam 30 may further include other film layers to further increase the thickness. For example, a conductive film layer (such as an anode) is formed between the first barrier layer 31 and the second barrier layer 32 by using the same material as the first electrode layer 80, which can not only increase the thickness of the barrier dam, but also lead to the bridge as a signal line. The lands are overlapped with the leads. On the other hand, the number of blocking dams 30 is not limited to one, but may be two or more.

Step S200, forming an encapsulation layer on the light-emitting device, which includes forming an inorganic encapsulation layer 60 on the driving backplane by a vapor deposition method, so that the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 includes a main encapsulation layer covering the display area 10 and part of the peripheral area 20 and a The main encapsulation layer is a permeable layer extending away from the display area.

Referring to FIG. 4 , FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , in this step, the encapsulation layer includes a first inorganic encapsulation layer 601 , an organic encapsulation layer 61 and a second inorganic encapsulation layer 602 which are sequentially prepared from bottom to top. The two inorganic encapsulation layers play a major role in blocking the intrusion of water and oxygen, and can be made of inorganic materials such as nitrides, oxides, nitrogen oxides, nitrates, carbides or any combination thereof. The organic encapsulation layer 61 plays the role of auxiliary encapsulation and planarization, and the organic encapsulation layer 61 can be made of materials such as acrylic fiber, hexamethyldisiloxane, polyacrylate, polycarbonate, polystyrene and the like.

In this embodiment, the two inorganic encapsulation layers both cover the display area 10 and the barrier dam 30, which means that both the inorganic encapsulation layers have the display area 10 extending to the barrier dam 30 and cover the barrier dam 30, that is, the two inorganic encapsulation layers have The edge of the layer is on the side of the barrier dam 30 away from the display area (right side in the figure). When there are multiple barrier dams 30 , the two inorganic encapsulation layers extend all the way to cover the outermost barrier dam 30 , and a raised surface is also formed at the position of the barrier dam 30 . The organic encapsulation layer 61 usually ends at the barrier dam, and can be formed by exposure and development.

As shown in the figure, both the two inorganic encapsulation layers are formed by vapor chemical deposition using the mask 200 . Therefore, both the inorganic encapsulation layers will form a thin layer of shadow on the edge of the mask 200 during the formation process. In this application, the part of the first inorganic encapsulation layer 601 covering the display area 10 and the barrier dam 30 is defined as the first main encapsulation layer 601a, and the part extending from the first main encapsulation layer 601a to the direction away from the display area is defined as the first permeable layer 601b . The part of the second inorganic encapsulation layer 602 covering the display area and the barrier dam is defined as the second main encapsulation layer 602a, the part extending away from the display area from the second main encapsulation layer 602a is defined as the second permeable layer 602b, The encapsulation layer 602a covers the first main encapsulation layer 601a, and the second permeable layer 602b covers the first permeable layer 601b. According to the definition of the present disclosure, the boundaries of the first main encapsulation layer 601a and the second main encapsulation layer 602a overlap, the boundaries of the first permeable layer 601b and the second permeable layer 602b close to the display area overlap, and are the first main encapsulation layer 601a and the second permeable layer 602b The boundaries of the second main encapsulation layer 602a and the boundaries of the first permeable layer 601b and the second permeable layer 602b away from the display area may or may not overlap. It should be noted that the dotted line shown in the figure indicates that the first main encapsulation layer 601a and the first permeation layer 601b are divided here, and this position is only a schematic illustration. In fact, the ideal boundary of the inorganic encapsulation layer can be to divide the location.

Steps S300 to S400, the inorganic layer 5 is formed on the side of the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 away from the driving backplane 1, so that the inorganic layer 5 includes a first inorganic layer covering the main encapsulation layer and extending from the first inorganic layer in a direction away from the display area the second inorganic layer; the second inorganic layer and the permeable layer 60b are removed by simultaneous etching using the same mask. These two steps have different preparation processes due to different inorganic layers.

In the first embodiment, the inorganic layer 5 is the buffer layer 50 in the touch functional layer, which is used to prevent the conductive material of the upper touch electrode layer from penetrating downward during the evaporation or sputtering process. The same mask plate , both the outer side of the barrier dam and the permeable layer 60b are etched away through the same etching process, so that the shadow can be removed.

Therefore, in step S300, referring to FIG. 8, the buffer layer 50 is entirely covered on the driving backplane 1 by the vapor chemical deposition method, that is, the buffer layer 50 includes the first buffer layer 50a covering the second main encapsulation layer 602a and the first buffer layer 50a covering the second main encapsulation layer 602a. The buffer layer 50a extends away from the second buffer layer 50b in the direction of the display area. The second buffer layer 50b covers the display area and the barrier dam. The buffer layer 50b covers other areas of the display panel. In this embodiment, the first inorganic layer is the first buffer layer 50a, and the second inorganic layer is the second buffer layer 50b.

In step S400, referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the second buffer layer 50b is etched and removed by using the mask plate 200, so as to expose the leads covering other areas such as the overlap area. Since both the buffer layer 50 and the two inorganic encapsulation layers are made of inorganic materials, the same mask plate 200 can be used in the etching process to control the etching parameters (such as time, etc.), so that the first permeable layer 601b, The second permeable layer 602b is etched away together, thereby achieving the purpose of removing the shadow and simplifying the process.

On this basis, referring to FIGS. 11 to 13 , the preparation method may further include step S500 : further forming a first touch electrode layer 51 , a touch insulating layer 52 and a second touch electrode layer on the remaining first buffer layer 50 a The control electrode layer 53 is formed, and the first touch electrode layer 51 and the second touch electrode layer 53 are electrically connected through via holes. Moreover, the first touch electrode layer 51 and the second touch electrode layer 53 both cover the display area, the barrier dam, and extend to the overlapping area 21 for overlapping with the leads 40 to achieve double-layer overlapping. In this embodiment, the leads 40 and the source and drain layers of the display area can be formed by using the same material through a synchronous patterning process.

In the second embodiment, the inorganic layer 5 is the touch insulating layer 52 in the touch functional layer. Since the touch insulating layer 52 is also made of inorganic materials, and the touch insulating layer 52 is formed on the driving backplane on its entire surface, the same mask can be used to remove the touch control outside the barrier dam through the same etching process. Both the insulating layer 52 and the permeable layer 60b are etched away, whereby the shadow can be removed.

Since other film layers (such as the buffer layer 50 and the first touch electrode layer 51 ) are further included between the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 and the touch functional layer, steps S300 to S400 can be specifically implemented according to the following steps:

In step S300 , referring to FIG. 14 , a buffer layer 50 covering the second inorganic encapsulation layer 602 is formed first. The buffer layer 50 can be entirely covered on the driving backplane 1 by vapor chemical deposition, that is, the buffer layer 50 includes a first buffer layer 50a covering the second main encapsulation layer 602a and extending away from the display area from the first buffer layer 50a The second buffer layer 50b, the second buffer layer 50b covers the display area and the barrier dam 30, its boundary coincides with the boundary of the first main encapsulation layer 601a, the second main encapsulation layer 602a, the second buffer layer 50b covers the other parts of the display panel area.

Referring to FIG. 15 , a first touch electrode layer 51 is formed over the buffer layer 50 , so that the projection of the first touch electrode layer 51 on the driving backplane 1 is within the projection of the main packaging layer. The first touch electrode layer 51 may be formed by processes such as magnetron sputtering, vapor deposition, and the like. In this step, the projection of the first touch electrode layer 51 on the driving backplane needs to be located within the projection of the main encapsulation layer, that is, the boundary of the first touch electrode layer 51 and the first main encapsulation layer 601a, the The boundaries of the two main encapsulation layers 602a and the first buffer layer 50a are flush, or closer to the display area than the boundaries of the first main encapsulation layer 601a, the second main encapsulation layer 602a and the first buffer layer 50a. The boundary of the first touch electrode layer 51 is controlled because the electrode layer is usually a metal material. Unlike the etching gas of inorganic materials, the boundary is limited in the main encapsulation layer so as not to affect the subsequent etching of the permeable layer 60b.

Referring to FIG. 16 , a touch insulating layer 52 is formed on the side of the first touch electrode layer 51 away from the buffer layer 50 , so that the touch insulating layer 52 includes a first insulating layer 52 a covering the second main encapsulation layer 602 a and a first insulating layer 52 a covered by the first The insulating layer 52a extends away from the second insulating layer 52b of the display area. The touch insulating layer 52 uses inorganic insulating material to cover the entire surface of the driving backplane 1 by a vapor chemical deposition method. That is to say, the first insulating layer 52a covers the display area and the barrier dam, and its boundaries are connected with the first main encapsulation layer 601a, The boundaries of the second main encapsulation layer 602a and the first buffer layer 50a overlap, and the second insulating layer 52b covers other areas of the display panel. In this embodiment, the first inorganic layer is the first insulating layer 52a, and the second inorganic layer is the second insulating layer 52b.

Referring to FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 , in step S400 , the second insulating layer 52 b and the permeable layer 60 b are removed by simultaneous etching using the same mask 200 .

Since the touch insulating layer 52 and the buffer layer 50 are formed on the entire surface without using a mask during the formation process, the second insulating layer 52b and the second buffer need to be removed by etching using the mask 200 in this step. layer 50b to expose the leads covering other areas such as the bonding area. Since the touch insulating layer 52, the buffer layer 50 and the two inorganic encapsulation layers are all made of inorganic materials, during the etching process, the etching parameters (such as time, etc.) can be controlled to make the second insulating layer 52b, the first penetration Layer 601b, second permeable layer 602b, and second buffer layer 50b are etched away together. Since the boundary of the first touch electrode layer 51 does not exceed the boundary of the main encapsulation layer, it will not hinder the etching of the penetration layer and the second buffer layer 50b. Therefore, the portion of the first touch electrode layer 51 located in the display area will not be affected. In addition, compared with the etching performed when the buffer layer 50 is fabricated in the previous embodiment, this method requires one less mask process, which simplifies the entire fabrication process.

Of course, in this embodiment, the first touch electrode layer 51 may be directly fabricated on the encapsulation layer without the buffer layer 50, and the second insulating layer 52b, the first permeable layer 601b, the second insulating layer 52b, the first permeable layer 601b, and the The second permeable layer 602b is etched away.

On this basis, referring to FIG. 19 , the preparation method may further include step S500 : forming a second touch electrode layer 53 on the side of the touch insulating layer 52 away from the first touch electrode layer 51 , so that the second touch The electrode layer 53 covers the touch insulating layer 52 and extends to the lap area 21 so as to overlap with the lead 40 in the lap area 21. In this embodiment, the lead 40 and the source and drain layers of the display area can be made of the same material through synchronous patterning Process formed. Since the boundary of the first touch electrode layer 51 is limited within the main encapsulation layer, the lap joint is a single-layer lap joint. The formation method of the second touch electrode layer 53 is the same as that of the first touch electrode layer 51 , and details are not repeated here.

It should be noted that the above preparation method omits the preparation of part of the film layers in the display area, and those skilled in the art can understand that these film layers can be completely prepared by the existing preparation process. In addition, the above step numbers are not the only limitation on the preparation sequence, and other process sequences can be used to manufacture the display panel of the present disclosure without departing from the idea of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a display panel prepared by the above-mentioned preparation method. Referring to FIGS. 20 and 21 , FIGS. 20 and 21 are schematic cross-sectional views in the direction B-B in FIG. 1 . With reference to FIGS. 1 , 20 and 21 , the display The panel is divided into a display area 10 and a peripheral area 20 surrounding the display area. The display panel includes a driving backplane 1, an inorganic encapsulation layer 60 and an inorganic layer 5. The inorganic encapsulation layer is provided on the driving backplane 1 and covers the display area 10 and part of the periphery. The inorganic layer 5 is disposed on the side of the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 away from the driving backplane 1 , and the edge of the inorganic layer 5 is flush with the edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 in the thickness direction of the display panel. Corresponding to the above preparation method, the inorganic layer 5 in the display panel is the first inorganic layer, and the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 is the main encapsulation layer 60a.

In one embodiment, the display panel is prepared by the preparation method shown in FIGS. 5-13 , so the inorganic layer 5 is the buffer layer 50 in the touch functional layer. Referring to FIG. 20 , which is a partial cross-sectional view of the display panel, the buffer layer 50 and the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 both cover the display area and the barrier dam 30 , and the edge of the buffer layer 50 and the edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 are flat in the thickness direction of the display panel aligned, that is, on the outside of the blocking dam 30 . The buffer layer 50 is the first buffer layer 50a.

Further, the display panel further includes a first touch electrode layer 51 , a touch insulating layer 52 and a second touch electrode layer 53 located above the buffer layer 50 , the first touch electrode layer 51 and the second touch electrode layer 53 . 53 is electrically connected through vias. Moreover, the first touch electrode layer 51 and the second touch electrode layer 53 both cover the display area, the barrier dam, and extend to the overlapping area for overlapping, so as to realize double-layer overlapping.

In another embodiment, the display panel is prepared by the preparation method shown in FIGS. 14-19 , so the inorganic layer 5 is the touch insulating layer 52 in the touch functional layer. Referring to FIG. 21 , which is a partial cross-sectional view of the display panel, the touch insulating layer 52 and the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 both cover the display area and the barrier dam 30 , and the edge of the touch insulating layer 52 and the edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 are on the display panel. Flush in the thickness direction, that is, on the outside of the barrier dam 30 . The touch insulating layer 52 is the first insulating layer 52a.

Specifically, a first touch electrode layer 51 is further included between the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 and the touch insulating layer 52 , and the projection of the first touch electrode layer 51 on the driving backplane 1 is located within the projection of the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 . A second touch electrode layer 53 is further disposed above the touch insulating layer 52 . The second touch electrode layer 53 covers the touch insulating layer 52 and extends to the bonding region 21 for bonding with the leads of the bonding region 21 . In this embodiment, it is a single-layer lap joint. The second touch electrode layer 53 and the first touch electrode layer 51 are electrically connected through via holes provided on the touch insulating layer 52 .

Further, the display panel may further include a buffer layer 50 located between the encapsulation layer and the first touch electrode layer 51. Since the synchronous etching method is adopted in this embodiment, the edge of the buffer layer 50 is insulated from the touch control. The edges of the layer 52 and the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 are flush in the thickness direction of the display panel.

In one embodiment, referring to FIGS. 20 and 21 , the touch insulating layer 52 , the buffer layer 50 and the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 all cover the display area and the annular barrier dam 30 disposed in the peripheral area, namely the touch insulating layer 52 and The edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer is located on the side of the barrier dam away from the display area. The number of barrier dams 30 may be more than one. When multiple barrier dams are included, the touch insulating layer 52 and the inorganic encapsulation layer extend all the way to cover the outermost barrier dam, because during the preparation process, the touch insulating layer 52 and the inorganic packaging layer are The portion of the encapsulation layer outside the outermost barrier dam is etched away. Correspondingly, the boundary of the first touch electrode layer 51 also does not exceed the outermost barrier dam.

In one embodiment, the encapsulation layer includes three film layers stacked in layers, a first inorganic encapsulation layer 601 , an organic encapsulation layer 61 and a second inorganic encapsulation layer 602 that are sequentially prepared from bottom to top. The organic encapsulation layer 61 ends at the innermost barrier dam, and the first inorganic encapsulation layer 601 and the second inorganic encapsulation layer 602 cover the barrier dam 30 . Since a part of the touch insulating layer 52 and the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 in the peripheral region is etched away together during the preparation process, the edges of the finally formed touch insulating layer 52 and the inorganic encapsulation layer 60 are flush in the thickness direction of the panel .

Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a display device including the display panel of the above-mentioned embodiments. Since the display device includes the above-mentioned display panel, it has the same beneficial effects, and details are not described here in the present disclosure.

The present disclosure does not specifically limit the application of display devices, which can be TVs, notebook computers, tablet computers, wearable display devices, mobile phones, in-vehicle displays, navigation, e-books, digital photo frames, advertising light boxes, etc. products or parts.

It should be noted that although the various steps of the method of the present disclosure are described in a specific order in the drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in the specific order, or that all the illustrated steps must be performed to achieve desired result. Additionally or alternatively, certain steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step for execution, and/or one step may be decomposed into multiple steps for execution, etc.

Other embodiments of the present disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or techniques in the technical field not disclosed by the present disclosure . The specification and examples are to be regarded as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the appended claims.

Claims (13)

1. A preparation method of a display panel, the display panel includes a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area, wherein the preparation method includes:

   Provide a drive backplane;

   A vapor deposition method is used to form an inorganic encapsulation layer on the driving backplane, so that the inorganic encapsulation layer includes a main encapsulation layer covering the display area and part of the peripheral area, and a main encapsulation layer extending from the main encapsulation layer away from the display Permeable layer extending in the direction of the zone;

   An inorganic layer is formed on the side of the inorganic encapsulation layer away from the driving backplane, so that the inorganic layer includes a first inorganic layer covering the main encapsulation layer and a direction away from the display area from the first inorganic layer a second inorganic layer extending in the direction;

   The second inorganic layer and the permeable layer are removed by simultaneous etching using the same mask.
2. The manufacturing method of the display panel according to claim 1, wherein the inorganic layer is a buffer layer in the touch function layer;

   Wherein, forming the inorganic layer includes: forming the buffer layer on the side of the inorganic encapsulation layer away from the driving backplane, so that the buffer layer includes a first buffer layer covering the main encapsulation layer and a the first buffer layer is a second buffer layer extending in a direction away from the display area; wherein the first buffer layer is the first inorganic layer, and the second buffer layer is the second inorganic layer;

   Wherein, the etching of the second inorganic layer and the permeation layer includes: using the same mask to remove the second buffer layer and the permeation layer by simultaneous etching.
3. The manufacturing method of a display panel according to claim 1, wherein the inorganic layer is a touch insulating layer in a touch functional layer;

   Wherein, forming the inorganic layer includes: forming a touch insulating layer on the side of the inorganic encapsulation layer away from the driving backplane, so that the touch insulating layer includes a first insulating layer covering the main encapsulation layer and a second insulating layer extending away from the display area from the first insulating layer; wherein the first insulating layer is the first inorganic layer, and the second insulating layer is the second inorganic layer ;

   Wherein, etching the second inorganic layer and the permeable layer includes: using the same mask to remove the second insulating layer and the permeable layer by synchronous etching;

   Wherein, the preparation method further includes: forming a first touch electrode layer between the inorganic encapsulation layer and the touch insulating layer, so that the projection of the first touch electrode layer on the driving backplane is located at the location where the first touch electrode layer is projected. within the projection of the main encapsulation layer.
4. The manufacturing method of a display panel according to claim 3, wherein the manufacturing method further comprises:

   A buffer layer is formed between the inorganic encapsulation layer and the first touch electrode layer, so that the buffer layer includes a first buffer layer covering the main encapsulation layer and a first buffer layer extending from the first buffer layer away from the display area a second buffer layer extending in the direction;

   When the second insulating layer and the permeable layer are etched and removed simultaneously by using the same mask, the second buffer layer is also etched and removed simultaneously.
5. The manufacturing method of a display panel according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the manufacturing method further comprises:

   forming a barrier dam located in the peripheral region and surrounding the display region on the driving backplane;

   Wherein, when the inorganic encapsulation layer is formed, the main encapsulation layer is made to cover the display area and the barrier dam.
6. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein forming the inorganic encapsulation layer comprises:

   A first inorganic encapsulation layer is formed on the driving backplane by a vapor deposition method, and the first inorganic encapsulation layer includes a first main encapsulation layer covering the display area and the barrier dam, and a first main encapsulation layer covering the display area and the barrier dam. a first permeable layer extending in a direction away from the display area;

   A second inorganic encapsulation layer covering the first inorganic encapsulation layer is formed by a vapor deposition method, the second inorganic encapsulation layer includes a second main encapsulation layer covering the display area and the barrier dam, and a second main encapsulation layer covered by the second main encapsulation layer a second permeable layer extending away from the display area, the second main encapsulation layer covers the first main encapsulation layer, and the second permeable layer covers the first permeable layer;

   Wherein, removing the permeable layer by etching includes simultaneously etching and removing the first permeable layer and the second permeable layer.
7. A display panel, wherein the display panel is divided into a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area, the display panel comprising:

   drive backplane;

   an inorganic encapsulation layer, disposed on the driving backplane and covering the display area and part of the peripheral area;

   The inorganic layer is arranged on the side of the inorganic encapsulation layer away from the driving backplane, and the edge of the inorganic layer and the edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer are flush in the thickness direction of the display panel, and both are located in the surrounding area.
8. The display panel according to claim 7, wherein the inorganic layer is a buffer layer in a touch function layer, and an edge of the buffer layer is flush with an edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer in a thickness direction of the display panel .
9. The display panel according to claim 7, wherein the inorganic layer is a touch insulating layer in a touch functional layer, and an edge of the touch insulating layer and an edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer are within the thickness of the display panel. flush in the direction;

   The display panel further includes a first touch electrode layer, the first touch electrode layer is arranged between the inorganic encapsulation layer and the touch insulating layer, and the first touch electrode layer is on the driving backplane The projection on is within the projection of the inorganic encapsulation layer.
10. The display panel of claim 9, wherein the display panel further comprises:

    The buffer layer in the touch function layer, the buffer layer is located between the inorganic encapsulation layer and the first touch electrode layer, and the edge of the buffer layer is located at the edge of the touch insulating layer and the inorganic encapsulation layer. The display panel is flush in the thickness direction.
11. The display panel according to any one of claims 7-10, wherein the display panel further comprises:

    a blocking dam, the blocking dam is located in the peripheral area and is arranged around the display area;

    Wherein, the inorganic encapsulation layer covers the display area and the barrier dam, and the edge of the inorganic layer and the edge of the inorganic encapsulation layer are both located on the side of the barrier dam away from the display area.
12. The display panel according to any one of claims 7-10, wherein the inorganic encapsulation layer comprises a first inorganic encapsulation layer and a second inorganic encapsulation layer which are arranged in layers;

    Wherein, the edge of the inorganic layer is flush with the edges of the first inorganic encapsulation layer and the second inorganic encapsulation layer in the thickness direction of the display panel.
13. A display device, comprising the display panel of any one of claims 7-12.

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